I’ve been up in the Adirondacks for the past four days taking a National Ski Patrol Avalanche II Safety course at Whiteface Mountain. Guide and ski patroller Chuch Boyd put the class on for patrollers in the New England and Mid Atlantic region. We had about 30 participants and maybe 10 instructors. The group was amazing and the instructors did a great job with all the logistics of moving that many people in one direction. I learned and solidified a ton of new information I didn’t know in Avy I Course. If you like to venture into the backcountry areas on skis or a board I would highly suggest looking into taking a avalanche course to give you the knowledge of knowing when and when not to go for it. With all of the slides in the Adirondack’s, slides in the White Mountains, and Tuckerman’s Ravine skiing and snowboarding it’s a good thing to know. For me it’s more about being in the climbing areas. We spend a lot of time in avalanche terrain while climbing slides or mountaineering routes.